Point of interest spatial rating search

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a system and method for searching and retrieving location information associated with one or more points of interests, whereby the search criteria can be dependent upon the location of a point of interest with respect to the real-time position of the user, and any preferences or search restrictions selected by the user, such as rating information about the point of interest. Upon selecting a point of interest from the search result, the user is then given further information regarding the selected point of interest, including but not limited to directions for traveling to the point of interest. Additionally, the present invention can provide to the user a proximity notification once the user is within a certain distance from the point interest. Finally, while at a point of interest, the user can provide to the system information regarding the point of interest, such as rating of the food of a restaurant, without having to specifically identify the point of interest as the system can self-identify the point of interest by using the position information of the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10/222,450 filedon Aug. 16, 2002, which in turn claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e)of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/313,010 filed Aug.16, 2001, which applications are specifically incorporated in theirentirety by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method for providing thecapability for spatial searches used to find and rate points of interest(POI) information and items associated with various POIs, such as forfinding the best restaurant, or for finding a specific book in a highlyrated bookstore in the surrounding area.

2. Description of the Related Art

Current rating search systems are based on static non-spatial searchesthat provide users with the ability to select only categorical searchesthat deal with specific inputted preferences. For instance, typicalInternet-based rating systems allow users to search regions forrestaurants based on name, cost, and/or area. These search systems canprovide information that is based on only broad spatial inputtedinformation, such as a given city or zip code. Also, prior art searchsystems are limited in the type of POIs they can search against.Typically users can rate and search, using standard personal computerswith static Internet connections, only restaurants.

Additionally, map programs are well known in the art, which provide agraphical representation of a set of geographical coordinates, such asstreets and highways. These map programs can also be purchased withgeocoded POI information, such as restaurants and movie theaters.Current map programs provide search capability for finding the desiredPOI information nearest to a given inputted geographical coordinateinformation, such as an address of a house.

Navigational devices are typically defined as devices that provide aunit's local position and a way of planning a course around the unit'slocal position, sometimes to a remote position, as in the case of anin-vehicle navigational device, also well known in the art. Typically,an in-vehicle navigation device consists of a display screen, processingunit, storage unit, and user input mechanism. The storage systemtypically contains, for example, maps and travel information used fornavigational purposes. Travel information may include POIs such as localrestaurants, theaters, municipality locations, and the like.

Determining one's position using a navigational device has typicallybeen accomplished by integrating or connecting a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) device with various types of computing devices, such as apersonal computer or handheld GPS unit. New positioning determinationsystems include network-assisted wireless location systems, such asTime-of-Arrival (TOA), and network-assisted GPS systems for determiningthe navigational device's position. The unit's location is thendisplayed on the device and is available for various applications, suchas in the case of a commuter seeking the shortest route to a location ina specific area or a user wanting to find the nearest gas station.

A need exists for users to have the ability to rate and conduct aspatial search for all POI information, such as golf courses,restaurants, home addresses, hotels, hair salons, bowling allies, etc.,and items associates with various POIs based on the users' currentposition information and utilizing various search metric queries. Thesesearch metric queries can include, for example, searching based on one'sown personally highest-rated choices, searching for ratings compiled byvarious other users, such as people with a common interest about aparticular POI, or searching based on an aggregate average user ratingresponse. Thus, there is a need for providing these spatial searches andrating capabilities based on various metrics, all of which isconfigurable by the user. These spatial searches and ratings are basedon the knowledge of the user's position information and can provide themeans to navigate to such desired POI's location, since the user mayrequire the best travel route possible from the user's current position.Routes can be calculated using real-time traffic information and thehighest speed-rated street or highway with the fewest stops to determinethe shortest possible travel route.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a plurality ofmethods for searching various POIs within a given search zone, such as aradial search, boxed boundary search, or a zip code or city search,based on position information from a navigational device. The searchmethod incorporates a categorical rating metrics search engine forproviding the searcher with an indexed response of the highest rated POIinformation within the spatial search zone based on the user's searchcriteria. The POI ratings are based on various quantitative factors oruser's experiences, such as decor, service, food, location, etc., orbased on various pricing structures, such as the estimated cost of thePOI service, such as an average restaurant meal price or typicalamusement park gate fee.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method forallowing a user to rate POIs based on various quality factors, such asdecor, service, food, price, location, etc. In one embodiment, a usercan rate a POI based on a simple rating metric, such as a scale of 1-40,where 1 represents the worst overall user experience and 40 representsthe best overall user experience. The user can also drill down into morespecific rating categories that represent more granularity of theoverall POI rating, for example the quality of service or décor.Additionally, not all POIs preferably incorporate the same ratingmetrics. For example, a food establishment rating metric might includeaverage price per entrée or general price categories, such asinexpensive, moderate, very expensive, etc., while for a business banksuch a field is inappropriate.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method to compensatefor various POIs that have not been rated by any or enough users, suchthat the results of a search for a particular POI would not be asreliable as compared to a large number of users having rated a singlePOI. In one embodiment, this compensation is provided, when necessary,by assigning greater rating value to known professional critics'reviews, or the like, as compared to that of an individual user'sreviews, such that the search results for a given POI are valid for thisinitial special case until sufficient individual users have rated aparticular POI to average out any individual user's bias of a particularPOI contrary to the mean users' rating values.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality ofmethods for searching various items associated with various POIs withina given search zone, such as a radial search, boxed boundary search, ora zip code or city search, based on position information. The searchmethod can incorporate various rating search methods, such as acategorical rating metrics search for providing the searcher with anindexed response of the highest rated POIs within a given area that areassociated with a specific searched item. In one embodiment, a userwanting to find the highest rated stores (i.e., POIs) in a given areathat carry a particular item that he or she wishes to purchase or viewmay want the search to be based on his or her current positioninformation, such as by utilizing a navigational device or manuallyinputted address information, and possibly determine if the specificrated stores have the item in stock and how many are remaining. Examplesof such searches may include a search for a theater playing a desiredmovie, a computer store selling a desired software application, or astore selling video game consoles within a given price range, Thissearch can be accomplished utilizing any computing device, such as astandard personal computer, and it is not limited to navigationaldevices, such that a user could specify a general area or location usingvarious methods, such as selecting an area on a map or entering variousaddress information fields.

It is yet another object of the invention to search for POI ratings bylocation or to notify a user about a POI rating based on his or herlocation without having to initiate a detailed search to find variousPOIs using a navigational device. In one embodiment, users can have themobile device notify them that there are ratings about a particular POIbased on their proximity to the POI. For instance, if a user is in ornear a particular restaurant, the system can notify the user that one ormore ratings exist for that restaurant so that the user can view suchratings. This allows users to read various ratings about a POI withouthaving to initiate a search for the POI, which can be cumbersome anddifficult on any device, especially a mobile device.

It is another object of the invention to allow a means to identify auser through an authentication and authorization procedure, in order to,for instance, ensure that a user is correctly identified as authorizedto submit ratings to the overall system or allowed to access the ratingsystem search engine for a particular type of search field or within agiven spatial zone.

It is another object of the invention for the user to have access to theonline networked rating search engine, such as through a wireless,wired, infrared, or optical connection acting as the physical layer forthe cases where a network connection is required or appropriate.

It is another object of the invention to provide a means for the user toobtain real-time search queries from the online networked rating searchengine on various devices, such as using a networked navigationaldevice, or by caching POI rating information for a given region, such asa city, county, state, or nation, when using a mobile device withoutconnectivity to the online networked server. Additionally, ratinginformation that the user compiled while the device was disconnectedfrom the online networked rating search engine can be uploaded to theonline networked rating search engine once the device is connected tothe Internet, such as by using a technique called hot synching, where adevice interfaces to a computer with an Internet connection, or byconnecting the device to a dialup modem with an established Internetconnection, or a similar method as commonly known to a person in theart.

It is another object of the invention to enable the request and deliveryof such rating search queries and responses via various local device ornetwork-enabled server means, such as by using a numeric, alphanumeric,or speech-enabled interface, a graphical user interface (GUI) display,or a software Application Program Interface (API), or the like.Additionally, the search results can be delivered over a networkconnection from the online networked rating search engine to the clientby means of a Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) connection (e.g., H.323 protocols)using a server-sided Text-To-Speech (TTS) implementation, or by using astreaming audio format to the client. The information can also bedelivered over different physical layers, such as an additional RFconnection using an AM (Amplitude Modulated) or FM (Frequency Modulated)standard format for transmitting the appropriate data.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method forenabling users that are at or near a specific POI to rate only that POI,taking into consideration the user's position information provided byvarious means, such as by a navigational device. For example, thisprecludes users from blindly rating all POIs that are consideredfranchises or chains in a given region, or nationally, if they had aparticular experience at a local POI that may not apply to other POIs ofthe same franchises or chain.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method forsearching, using various search methods, an entire chain or franchisebased on various quality factors, such as store locations, and enablingthe user to check if a POI associated with the chain or franchise iswithin a given area. Additionally, directions can be provided to thedesired POI based on the user's position information. In one embodiment,this search allows users to search specifically for a chain orfranchise, which may offer better nationwide return policies, or usersatisfaction, for example, and this search can also indicate the storebranch near a given location. Users can also obtain real-time drivingdirections from their current position to the desired store with the useof a navigational device. In another embodiment, a user may ask, “Findme the best rated electronic store chain that has stores in New Jerseyand California.” This would be useful for a user living in New Jerseywho is going to buy a TV, but knows he or she will be living inCalifornia in a few months and may want to return it or have it repairedin California if it breaks.

It is still another object of the invention to enable users to updatetheir previously submitted ratings after reconsidering his or heroriginal submission. In one embodiment, the rating re-submission may notrequire the user to be located within a nearby POI, and thus can be donefrom anywhere.

It is still another object of the invention to provide various ratingsearches, such as 1). Best Categorical Rating Search, 2). AggregateAverage Population Rating Search, 3). Personal—Favorites Rating Search,4). Similar User-Rating Search.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method thatallows for the storage and easy retrieval of various POIs, reviews, andother additional information about various POIs, in a user'spreferences, such as the ‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’ provides.Additionally, maps of varying resolution and size can be displayed ofsuch stored POIs.

It is still another object of the invention to provide geo-triggerednotifications to a navigational device based on the stored POI'sposition information and the navigational device's position. In oneembodiment, a user on travel may want to plan the trip by using variousrating searches or address information to identify various POIs, such asa historical landmark, famous restaurant, etc. Once these various POIsare stored into the system, locally, on the navigational device, or onthe online networked system server, the system would apprise or alertthe user when he or she is near these various stored POIs, such aswithin the POI's city of location or a block away from the POI'slocation, based on the system's or user's pre-defined notificationboundary or range settings.

It is still another object of the invention to provide geo-triggerednotifications to POIs based on the user's real-time positioninformation. In one embodiment, users that store favorite POIs canreceive special coupons from the specific POI based on the user'slocation relative to the POI and the triggering area set by the POI. Theusers can then opt-in at any time to receive such geo-triggered coupons.

It is yet still another object of the invention to provide a searchedindexed POI response that can provide, as in the form of a link toanother display or within the same display, a detailed user review of aspecific POI, thus allowing users to read what they or other users havewritten about a specific POI. Additionally, this also provides theability to read a review from a professional critic known in thespecific field of the POI, such as a food critic rating a restaurant.

It is yet still another object of the invention to allow users to storepersonal note information about a specific geographical POI, or chain orfranchise of POIs, for their own review anytime. In one embodiment,after choosing a desired restaurant POI in a given location, users maywant to recall their favorite entrée that they had ordered when theypreviously visited the restaurant POI, and users may want to recall, forexample, not to get the spaghetti with white sauce, but with red sauce,and to add seafood to the entrée. Additionally, for example, a user maycustomize specific notes about specific destination POIs prior toactually being located in the region of the specific POIs. Thepersonalized POI note information can be stored locally on thenavigational device, or uploaded to the online networked rating searchengine, and later accessed, which in one embodiment, can all be doneutilizing authorization and authentication procedures. This custom notecreation and its access can be accomplished via any computing device,such as a personal computer, and it is not limited to navigationaldevices.

It is yet still another object of the invention to provide usersdirections from their current location to a desired POI that wasprovided from a search query. These directions can be provided invarious formats, such as text, voice (i.e., speech directions), mappingof varying resolutions, etc., and may encompass additional informationthat may add to the accuracy of the provided direction information. Inone embodiment, a user in a vehicle may require routable drivingdirections from their present location to the desired POI whichincorporates various additional information that will aid in theaccuracy and efficiency of the direction information, such as real-timetraffic information and appropriate highway ramp or street turnrestrictions that can be time dependent (i.e., right turn only from 7 AMto 5 PM). As an additional example, directions for a hiker seeking aPOI, such as a camp ground, might require a routable hiking trail ordirectional information, such as the ability to provide azimuth,elevation, altitude, altitude difference, line-of-sight (LOS) distance,and curved earth LOS distance measurements, between the user and thedestination POI, which can be delivered to the user in various formats,such as text, voice (i.e., speech directions), mapping of varyingresolutions, etc.

It is yet still another object of the invention to provide a method ofindexing desired POIs based on their location relative to a pre-definedroute and the user's current position information provided by anavigational device, such that POIs that are closer to the pre-definedroute are given a higher priority index than POIs that are off thecurrent pre-defined route and would require a considerable detour fromthe pre-defined route, or near the pre-defined route, but that have beenpassed by the navigational device. In one embodiment, a user that hasdefined a route from point A to point B and is navigating on thepredefined route would want to find the highest rated restaurant in thenearby area for dinner within an area between point A and point B. Usinga variety of aforementioned search methods, the search may return 4restaurants that all have equal ratings and are all approximately thesame driving distance from the navigational device's current position.However, only one restaurant's position is directly ahead on thepre-defined route of the navigational device, while 1 of the other 3restaurants is behind the navigational device on the pre-defined route,and the other 2 are off the route on either side of the navigationaldevice. Thus, the restaurant that is located nearest to the pre-definedroute, closest to the navigational device, and on a portion of thepre-defined route which has not already been traversed and requiresminimal or no deviation from the pre-defined route will have the highestindexed response, and is displayed in a rating window relative to theother restaurant ratings. In another embodiment, the system can providethe total off-route driving time necessary to reach the POI and thenback to the pre-defined route for each indexed POI.

It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide amethod for providing a plurality of stopover POIs when defining a routefrom a START position to an END position. The search method canincorporate various search methods, such as the ‘Personal—FavoritesRating Search’ for providing the searcher with an indexed response ofvarious POIs for use in planning a route. In one embodiment, a user willsearch for various POIs based on a variety of preferences that the userwishes to incorporate in the search parameters. The searcher would thenadd a single or plurality of POIs to be included in the route to becalculated. The route engine would then calculate the route based onvarious factors, such as traffic information, speed limits, turnrestrictions, etc., and user preferences, such as preferred streets orhighways to use or avoid, while incorporation the selected POIs asstopover points during the route. In one embodiment, a user on travelwishing to visit an amusement park would search for a selected amusementpark by name, and then add the POI to the preferred route and specifythat the START and END positions are the same, the user's home address.The system would then calculate the route to and from the amusementpark. Additionally, the user can add a plurality of POIs to be used inthe route calculation and have the START and END points at differentlocations. Also, the user can identify which POIs they would like tovisit in any specific order, or the system can determine the optimalorder based on the location of the various identified POIs and the STARTand END positions for the route calculation.

It is yet still another object of the invention to provide theseaforementioned capabilities on various devices, such aspersonal/workstation/tablet computing devices, personal digitalassistance (PDA) devices, telephone (both wired and wireless) devices,or various devices with Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) capability and includingany VoIP derivatives, such as Voice-Over-DSL (VoDSL), in which alldevices have access to various forms of position information, such asGPS or network-based positioning techniques, such as Time-Of-Arrival(TOA) implementations.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provideda system of obtaining various forms of position information, such aswith a navigational device, and a method of searching POIs or itemsassociated with POIs based on a rating scale, in order to find the mostpreferred POI or item, and using various search criteria selected by theuser, software or hardware application, or the like. This method allowsusers to search for desirable POIs using various spatial search methods,such as the ‘Best Categorical Rating Search’, ‘Aggregate AveragePopulation Rating Search’, ‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’, or‘Similar User-Rating Search’.

In one embodiment, the ‘Best Categorical Rating Search’ is based on theselection of a specific category or sub-category according to a user'sset of preferences, such as searching for nearby Italian food with anoverall rating of 32 or better (given a total scale of 40). In anotherembodiment, the ‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’ allows users tocompile and store their own personal ratings for various POIs in varioususer defined formats, such as personalized folders, which can be storedlocally on the mobile device and/or remotely on the online networkedrating search engine server. This enables a user to use his or her POIrating information both locally and remotely, such as when on travel, asthe subset of POIs on which to perform a search, or as a ranking systemthat affects the indexing of displayed search results. In anotherembodiment, a user traveling in an unfamiliar area may want to use hisor her preferred ratings when searching a specific area for a favoriterestaurant chain or franchise. Should an exact match not be found, theuser may then search the unfamiliar area for the nearest fast foodrestaurant that is similar to the user's favorite fast food restaurantsin the user's local familiar area that are the highest-rated by theuser. In another embodiment, the ‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’allows users to use their core set of POIs as a subset from which tosearch for the nearest POI, such that POIs that the users have notpreviously rated are not included in the search. Both POI sets, theuser's core set of POIs as well as the complete set of POIs, can besearched upon, and when the search results are displayed, the POIs canbe indexed by two methods. The search results can be indexed with moreweight on the user's own ratings, such as a displayed result that ranksfirst a POI that the user has rated 95% in the display index and theaggregate user population rated 90%, and ranks second a POI that theaggregate user population rated 98% and the user rated less than 95% ornot at all. Conversely, the search results can also be indexed with moreweight on the aggregate user population rating, rather than the user'sown personal ratings as in the previous example, so that the POIs'indices in the previous example are reversed.

The ‘Aggregate Average Population Rating Search’ consists of the averageuser ratings compiled for various top-level categorical searches. In oneembodiment, the average user ratings for the best restaurant in a givenarea uses the base of the global community of users all having ratedvarious POIs within the overall category and area, and can be used tosearch for the best-rated restaurant. For example, the best overallrestaurant in a given area, which includes all types of restaurants(i.e. all restaurant sub-categories, such as Seafood, Asian, Italian,Indian, etc.), would display the indexed response of the overallbest-rated restaurants in the user-defined area, regardless ofsubcategory, such as cuisine.

In another embodiment, the ‘Similar User Rating Search’ allows users tocorrelate their own preferred POI information with the complete compileduser-rating database, thus providing the best match of unknown POIs thatthe user would most probably prefer. In one embodiment, the search willmatch a searcher's rating history with those of users that on averagehave similar ratings for various categories previously rated by thesearcher. The search then compiles a new subset of users that havesimilar ratings for the POIs that the searcher has previously rated oridentified, and can then extrapolate POIs that the searcher has notrated should the searcher seek POI rating information for unknown POIsin a given area based on the searcher's position information. In oneembodiment, a user that typically stays at one specific type of hotel,while on travel, may find that his/her favorite or typical hotel is notavailable or nearby. Thus, utilizing this form of search would enable auser to compare his/her own personal preferences with people of similarpersonal preferences that have rated various POIs unknown to the userinitiating the search. The user is now able to utilize a POI ratingsearch for unknown POIs based on his/her known preferences, therebyhelping to narrow down the search to specific POIs that are unknown tothe user, but that the user would probably like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates how a typical navigational device is connected,through the Internet, Intranet, or Extranet, with the networked onlinedatabase and application rating server search engine;

FIG. 2 illustrates the typical components of a navigational device, withor without a wireless, wired, or infrared connection interface;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of the point of interest spatial ratingsearch method and system in accordance with a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 further illustrates another flowchart for the point of interestspatial rating search method and system in accordance with the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 further illustrates a flowchart for the point of interest spatialrating search method and system in accordance with the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 further illustrates a flowchart for the point of interest spatialrating search method and system in accordance with another embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 further illustrates a flowchart for the point of interest spatialrating search method and system in accordance with another embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 further illustrates a flowchart for the point of interest spatialrating search method and system in accordance with another embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a typical display process for the Point of InterestSpatial Rating Search Method and System;

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of an indexed search response displayfor a specific POI category;

FIG. 11 illustrates a map display of varying resolution and size and anaccompanying textual display of various trip and route information;

FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of a route-enabled POI searchresponse display;

FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of a route-enabled multiple POIsearch, based on a previously defined driving route;

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart for calculating a sub-route to a nearbyPOI while the navigational device is engaged in an additional routecalculation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart for the ‘Best Categorical Rating Searchin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates a typical ‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’ displaymethod for saving POI favorite information in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a process for determining a ‘Similar User RatingSearch’ match in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 illustrates a system and method for utilizing POI noteinformation in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 19 illustrates a system and method for providing geo-triggerednotification to various POIs and users in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 illustrates a mechanism for defining various POIs to beincorporated in a route;

FIG. 21 illustrates the optimal route information for traveling tovarious POIs with a route with defined origin and destination; and

FIG. 22 illustrates a categorical radial search method for isolatingPOIs based on various quality factors relative to a user's positioninformation in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems forenabling a navigational device to search, rate, and navigate to variousPOIs from a navigational device's current position. The POI spatialrating search allows users to search for desired POIs based on aspecified rating metric. In one embodiment, a user may want to find theclosest seafood restaurant that is generally most popular with usersthat have previously rated such restaurants in the area. Additionally,that user may want to have real-time driving directions to the desiredPOI of interest, where the driving directions take into considerationstreet speed limits, traffic information, and street turn restrictions.

The present invention also provides a method and system for allowingusers to rate specific POIs based on their current location and variousrating categories, such as quality of service or décor, or average priceper entrée. In one embodiment, a user that has visited a POI can ratethe POI based on the aforementioned rating categories, such as variousquantitative factors or user experiences including decor, service, food,location, etc., or based on various pricing structures, such as theestimated cost of the POI service, average restaurant meal price, or atypical amusement park gate fee. Additionally, the system can preventusers from rating POIs that are outside of their current location. Thisprevents a user from rating a specific POI chain or franchise based on aparticular experience at a local branch. Users would be able to updatetheir rating for any POI after they have entered a particular rating,regardless of their current location.

The present invention is preferably functional with or without areal-time network connection to an Online Database and ApplicationRating Server Search Engine (ODARSSE). When there is no networkconnection possible, a local version of the ODARSSE can be loaded ontothe device to enable such searches. This local version of the ODARSSE isknown as the Local Database and Application Rating Search Engine(LDARSE). In one embodiment, a user can specify an area, such as a city,town, county, state, etc., that they expect to be traveling within. Thisallows the user to download data specific to a given region that enablesa standalone spatial search engine without the need for real-timenetwork connectivity. The only caveat is that the data that is used tocalculate POI searches may not be current or may be outdated. In oneembodiment, the user would download the data necessary for the localsearch engine by means of a CD-ROM, data file, or hot synching operationwith a local computing device, which can be connected to the Internetand thus the ODARSSE. Additionally, the user would still be able to ratespecific POIs, and that rating information could be incorporated intothe user's personal searches, but would not be collectively available toother users until such data is transferred to the ODARSSE via a networkconnection. When connected to the ODARSSE, the system providesauthentication and authorization protocols to establish that a user isgenuine and to verify the level of authority each user is granted, suchas for differentiating services provided by the ODARSSE.

The system provides various methods for obtaining driving directions toany specific POI and delivering them to the user, such as by a graphicaluser interface display or by using a speech interface device, or othervarious interfaces. In one embodiment, after a user has searched aspecific POI with some preferred indexed rating, the user may obtaindriving directions, or other navigable directions, such as azimuth,elevation, and distance directions, to the desired POI. This is possiblevia either a networked connection to the ODARSSE, or using a standalonenavigational device with a local storage device, such as a memory deviceor hard disk.

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention forthe navigational system and method for providing a POI rating search. Atypical navigation device 101, as illustrated in FIG. 2, consists of aprocessor 200, a position determining system 201, such as GPS, a memorysystem 202 and a storage system 203 (where both the memory and storagesystems can be combined or separate), a user interface 204, a displaydevice 205 (a user interface and display can be combined, such as withtouch screen displays), and may include, but is not required to include,a wireless, wired, or infrared connection interface 206, or the like, toenable communication with other devices or systems. A typicalnavigational device 101, shown in FIG. 1, can either be a standalonedevice or connected 102 to a base station 103, via a wireless, wired, orinfrared connection, for example. The base station 103 is then typicallyconnected 104 to the Internet, Intranet, or Extranet 105, which is thenconnected 106 to the ODARSSE 107. A navigational device is shown here ina typical motor vehicle 100, which is not necessary, and may beconsidered to be an in-vehicle navigation system, wireless cellulartelephone, wireless or non-wireless PDA, or personal computer, etc., andenables the input of position information to the device in variousformats and configurations.

When a user wants to locate a preferred POI for a given location, usinga navigational device 101, a user can search various POIs based onspecified preferred search criteria and the user's position information.When a user initiates a search, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the systemdetermines its current location 300 from various forms of possibleposition information 301, such as Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)system, Enhanced Observer Time Difference (E-OTD) (enhanced methodologyfor detecting the position of a transmitter, e.g. cell phone), oraddress information (e.g., street, city, zip code, etc., information).This current position information is stored into local memory 302 forlater use. The system then displays 303 the available search methods 900(FIG. 9) to the user, such as 1). Best Categorical Rating Search, 2).Personal—Favorites Rating Search 3). Aggregate Average Rating Search, or4). Similar User-Rating Search. After the user selects 304 the preferredsearch type 305, typically by using an input device such as an iconpointer 901, the system initiates a check 306 to see if the currentdevice has a network connection to the ODARSSE 107. If there is anetwork connection to the ODARSSE 107 then the system executes 309 thepreferred search type, such as the 1). Best Categorical Rating Search301, 2). Personal—Favorites Rating Search 311, 3). Aggregate AverageRating Search 312, or 4). Similar User-Rating Search 313, amongst otherpossible search methods including a combination of the disclosed searchmethods. If there is no network connection to the ODARSSE 107 then thesystem determines 307 if there is local cached data present in eithermemory 202 or storage 203 on the navigational device. If there is nolocal cached data present, the system displays 308 that there is nonetwork connection or cached data available to perform the necessary POIrating search. If there is local cached data present, the systemexecutes 309 the preferred search type, as described above.

After a preferred search method has been identified, as illustrated inFIG. 4, the system initiates a predefined search function 400 tailoredto that specific search. The specific search executed is stored intolocal memory 401 for later use. The system then displays 402 thesearchable categorical POI types, such as 902 1). Airports—Major &Minor, 2). ATMs and Banks, 3). Hotels and Motels, 4). Restaurants, 5).Shopping, etc. After the user selects 403 the specific category tosearch by, typically by using an icon pointer 901, the systems loads theappropriate information into local memory 404. The system then displays405 the sub-category information list 903 associated with the specificprevious overall category, such as for the category of restaurants. Thesub-category list can include, 1). Asian, 2). BBQ, 3). Chinese, 4).Delis, 5). French, etc.

After the user selects 406 the sub-category list, again typically usingan icon pointer 901, that information is loaded into local memory 407.The system then displays 408 the appropriate distance search region,which can be stored as a user preference to avoid its selection everytime a search is done. The search distance display 904 shows variousforms of search criteria, such as various search radius distances, zipcode search, city-town search, or neighboring city-town search, as wellas various user inputted radiuses and user-described zones. Once again,this information is typically selected using an icon pointer 901, suchas a mouse, but can be done using other forms of user input, such as akeyboard. Once the region information has been selected 409, the searchregion information is loaded into local memory 410 for later use. Thesystem then displays 411 the search sort order 905 for listing thereturned search results, such as by 1). Highest Rating, 2). DistanceFrom Current Location, or 3). Alphabetically, amongst others sortingpreferences. The user preferably then selects 412 the preferred methodto sort the return search response, which is typically done using anicon pointer 901. Additionally, this information can be also stored inthe user's preferences information or dynamically changed once thesearch information has been returned. The indexed sort information isalso loaded into local memory 413 for later use.

Once the appropriate search criteria is selected by the user, the systemchecks 500, as illustrated in FIG. 5, if the necessary searchinformation is spatially cached on the local device. This is necessaryin order to verify if all sub-categories, data fields, and records arevalid and present for the user's current local position, which may havechanged significantly during the time the user was selecting the searchcriteria if, for example, the user was in a moving motor vehicle 100. Ifthe system determines 500 that the cached data is available, the systemthen looks at the time stamp associated with the cached data to verify501 that the data is current. If the data is not current, typicallydefined as more than a day old, the system will check 502 if a networkconnection is currently available, since in a wireless environmentmobile devices typically move in and out of network connectivityregions. If there is a network connection, the system then sends 505 thesearch criteria compiled from the previously inputted searchinformation, such as 401, 404, 407, 410, and 413, typically over aTCP/IP connection to the ODARSSE 107. If there is no network connection,the system loads 504 the spatial data from cache into direct localmemory 507. Alternatively, if the local cached data is current 501, thesystem will then load 504 the spatial data from cache into direct localmemory 507. If cached data is not available for the specified spatialsearch 500, the system will then check 503 if there is a networkconnection to the ODARSSE 107. If so, the system will then send 505 thesearch criteria, complied from the previously inputted searchinformation, such as 401, 404, 407, 410, and 413, typically over aTCP/IP connection to the ODARSSE 107. If there is no network connection,the system will display 506 to the user that no network connection orcached data is available to perform the specific search.

Since the data can exist both locally and over the network, as shown inFIG. 6, the specified search can be accomplished by following twodifferent paths of operations. If the network is available 607, thenetwork path is chosen for the search (i.e., Path B). If a networkconnection is not possible, the local path is chosen for the search(i.e., Path A). This path is determined 607 based on the currentavailability of network connectivity. If a network connection isestablished (Path B) the ODARSSE 107 processes 603 the received searchcriteria and accesses the appropriate information from the server 604data center. The search response is indexed and sent back 605 to thedevice requesting the search. If a network connection is not possiblethe LDARSE, which is software that resides in the navigational device101, processes the information and initiates an appropriate search 600from data stored locally 601. The search response is indexed andformatted locally 602 for use on the local device that initiated thesearch. After the search results have been formatted and indexed, theinformation is sent to the user typically by displaying the results 607.However, it is possible for a text-to-speech engine to audibly apprisethe user of the returned search results. In another embodiment, theaudio search results can be delivered by a VoIP network protocol orstreaming audio formats from the server to the navigational device 101.This allows most of the processing to be completed by the networkedserver system (ODARSSE 107), where there are abundant resources, such asmemory, processing power, and electrical power, since most mobiledevices typically do not have an abundance of these resources relativeto the networked server system (ODARSSE 107).

The search results can be displayed 607 in many formats, including, forexample, audio format. As shown in FIG. 10, a typical search display1000 shows various fields related to the specified search method andcategory. In this embodiment, the search category is displayed 1006 as acategorical search method with a sub-category of Italian cuisine. Thedisplay 1000 window has indexed the results 1001 by the highest overallrating 1002, according to the average of all ratings given by users forthat POI.

In one embodiment, for each indexed POI, the results preferably providethe user with the POI's name 1001, telephone number 1005, professionalcritic's review 1006, individual user's reviews 1004, and a link toinitiate a ‘door-to-door’ driving direction calculation 1101 withdisplay 1100 (FIG. 11). In this embodiment, the search results display1000 provides the user with the most highly rated POIs in a given regionbased on the user's selected preferences and taking into account allother users' ratings. In this present embodiment, the user can navigatethe links, similar to an HTML web page in a web browser, by clicking onthe appropriate links, such as using an icon pointer 1007 to initiatethose links.

While the search results display 1000 is active, the system is searchingfor events that occur, such as various link click events or an exitevent. Some of the most important links are the ‘Get Driving Directions’1003, ‘Telephone Number’ 1005, and ‘Exit Screen’ 1008 events. This eventloop is illustrated in FIG. 6 as various conditional statements 608 &609 & 610. If the user initiates an ‘Exit Screen’ link 1008, then thesearch results display screen terminates 610 and the system starts over.If the user selects a ‘Get Driving Directions’ link 1003, the systeminitiates 608 a driving direction calculation to the desired POI thatthe selected driving direction link was associated with.

In one embodiment, after a desired POI has been chosen and a userrequires real-time driving directions to such desired POI, the systemwill calculate the necessary driving directions, as illustrated in FIG.7. The system determines its current location 700 from various possibleforms of position information 703, such as Global Positioning Satellite(GPS) system, Enhanced Observer Time Difference (E-OTD) (enhancedmethodology for detecting the position of a transmitter, e.g. cellphone), address information (e.g., street, city, zip code, etc.,information). This current position information is preferably storedinto local memory 702 for later use. The system then determines 704 if anetwork connection to the networked server system (ODARSSE 107) iscurrently available.

If the navigational device has network connectivity, the devicepreferably incorporates both the current position and remote positioninformation 707 in the calculation of a route by the network serversystem (ODARSSE 107). Additionally, further preference information 708can be included in the route query, such as real-time trafficinformation, or street turn restrictions. The system then sends 705 allof the appropriate information necessary for generating a route to theODARSSE 107 across the network. The information is then displayed 711 tothe user, in real-time, on a GUI display appropriate for the specificclient device that initiated the search. The system then determines 712if the navigational device has reached the desired POI by correlatingits current position information 702 with the POI position information605 or 602. If they are the same 712, then the user has reached thedestination POI, the route has been completed, and the system startsover. If they are not the same, the system then starts the route loopover 701 based on an event change.

When there is no network availability, the system preferably computes706 the route using locally cached data 709 and the current positioninformation 702 with the POI position information 605 or 602, inaddition to certain route preferences 708. The route calculation can usethe route preferences 708 incorporating real-time traffic updates onlywhen network connectivity is available. Real-time traffic information isnot incorporated in the route calculation when there is no networkconnectivity.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the route information display embodiesvarious related route information. In one embodiment, the windowconsists of a map display 1100 of varying size and resolution, and atext display 1101. The map display can illustrate the original startpoint of the route 1102, the actual highlighted route 1104, and the endpoint of the route 1103, or the desired POI location. The text display1101 illustrates the current time 1106, starting at the start position1102, for each and every new road, highway, segment, etc. The display1101 also shows the distance 1107 to the new road, highway, segment, etcon the route and the textual driving direction for each. The textdisplay 1101 also provides a summary information of the total trip 1108,including information such as the total driving distance and time, totaltravel time, and the total trip cost, which can be based on variousfacts, such as car depreciation, gas usage, etc., where Miles Per Gallon(MPG) is typically the most common factor in calculating trip cost.

As shown in FIG. 6, if a user selects a ‘Telephone Number’ link 609, thesystem locates and accesses 800 the stored telephone number for the POIassociated with the selected link. This process is illustrated in FIG.8. After the telephone number has been accessed, the system interfaces801 with the API or firmware of the device to initiate a telephone call,which can be typical navigational devices, such as GPS-enabled wirelesscell phones for example. If the number is not a valid number 802, due toinaccuracies in the POI data, then the system responds by informing theuser 803 that the automatic dial capability is not possible with thisspecific telephone number. If the telephone number is valid 802, issuccessfully dialed, and a connection is established, the systemacknowledges 804 by passing display control over to the specific voiceservice if necessary.

The system is also capable of finding POIs based on ratings andincorporating the current route information 1303 that the navigationaldevice is using to index search results for optimal overall routeefficiency, such as shown in FIG. 13. In this embodiment, a user has adefined route from a start position 1301 to an end position 1302, and,while navigating on the predefined route 1303, the user may want to findthe highest-rated restaurant in the nearby area 1300 and closest to theuser's current position minimizing the drive time off the route. Using avariety of aforementioned search methods, the search might returnvarious restaurants 1305 & 1309 & 1308 & 1306 & 1307 that all havevarious ratings and are in the vicinity of the navigational device'scurrent position 1304. The search results display 1200, as shown in FIG.12, provides returned results based on the navigational device's currentroute information 1303 and current position 1304, as illustrated in thesearch result title 1201. The POI indexed return is based on both thehighest average ratings and the position of the various POIs. Forexample, the first two indexed POIs in the search results, ‘Sandpiper'sSeafood House’ 1202 & 1305, and ‘Angie's Seafood Kitchen’ 1203 & 1306are rated First and Second, respectively, even though the ‘Sandpiper'sSeafood House’ 1202 & 1305 has an average overall rating score of 90%1204 compared to ‘Angie's Seafood Kitchen’ 1203 & 1306 which has anaverage overall rating score of 98% 1206. This is because the locationsof the two POIs, in relation to the device's current route and positionon that route, were taken into account when indexing the returnedresults. ‘Angie's Seafood Kitchen’ is located 1306 0.5 Miles behind thenavigational device's current position 1304, while ‘Sandpiper's SeafoodHouse’ is located 1305 1.2 Miles ahead of the navigational device'scurrent position 1304. Since ‘Sandpiper's Seafood House’ 1202 has alower score 1204 than ‘Angie's Seafood Kitchen’ 1203, it would typicallybe indexed as the second choice, but due to the location of thenavigational device 1304 and the position of both restaurants 1305 &1306, and in order to avoid any route delays due to ‘backtracking’ andto have the most efficient route possible, the search results provided‘Sandpiper's Seafood House’ 1202 & 1305 as the most optimal choice.Thus, the restaurant that is located nearest to the pre-defined route,closest to the navigational device, and near a portion of thepre-defined route that preferably has not already been traversed andrequires minimal or no deviation from the pre-defined route, will havethe highest indexed response. The other POIs, such as the ‘ChartHouse’1307, among others 1380 & 1309 were identified with lower indexed valueseither due to their location relative to the pre-defined route 1303, ortheir average overall user rating 1204 & 1206. Similar links, such asthe professional critic's review 1208 and customer reviews 1209, andtelephone number 1210, and driving directions 1205 & 1207 links are alsopresent in this display 1200, which is similar to the previous indexeddisplay 1000. One difference, in this embodiment, is that an added linkis present 1214 & 1212, which shows the distance to the indexed POI andthe driving time calculation (based on various factors such as theobserved speed limit, traffic information, etc.) from the pre-definedroute to the desired POI and back to the pre-defined route. Otherwise,these links 1214 & 1212 are identical to the driving directions link1205 & 1207, but have a slightly different function for thisapplication, since the navigational device is already in a pre-definedroute.

When a device is traveling a pre-defined route, the system identifies ifa current route is enabled 1400 (see FIG. 14), and, if so, the systeminitiates 1401 a location determination process, or otherwise exits thesub-route function. Once the location has been obtained 1401, the systeminitiates the preferred search method 1402 as previously described, andthen displays 1200 the preferred indexed POI search information 1403.When the user selects the desired POI 1404, the system initiates thesub-route function 1405, that takes into consideration various mapinformation and real-time parameters 1406, such as the current routeinformation, current position information, traffic information,time-of-day information, etc., and then calculates the optimal routefrom the current location to the desired POI's location. Along theroute, information is updated and displayed 1407 to the user, includingsuch fields as map and route information of varying resolution and size,time left to reach destination, and other similar information, such asshown in FIG. 11 & FIG. 13.

The system preferably periodically checks 1408 to verify if the devicehas reached the desired POI, in which such a calculation often involvesthe incorporation of positional error information, which may be producedby multi-path error or Selectivity Availability (SA) error sometimespresent in GPS receiver systems, and its correlation with the POI'slocation information and the navigational device's position information.If the device is not at the desired POI location, the loop starts againby updating the sub-route information and position information function1406, or else the loop terminates since the navigational device hasreached the desired POI location. The same function is used to return tothe desired route, except the destination is the closest point on thepre-defined route, and utilizes current map information and real-timeroute information to calculate the route. Once the navigational devicehas returned to the pre-defined route, the previous function executes asnormal until its desired route destination has been reached.

Various forms of searches are disclosed for the invention including,without limitation, Best Categorical Rating Search, Aggregate AveragePopulation Rating Search, Personal—Favorites Rating Search, and SimilarUser Rating Search.

The ‘Best Categorical Rating Search’ allows the searching of variousforms of ratings for a given end-category, such as a sub-category orcategory with no more sub-categories beneath itself. For instance, therestaurant category has various sub-categories beneath it, such asAmerican (New), American (Traditional), Argentinean, Armenian, Asian,etc. These subcategories (e.g., Pizza) are defined as end-categories.Another category, such as Typewriters (i.e., Typewriter Stores) does nothave a sub category beneath it, and is thus defined as an end-category.Additionally, various forms of quality factors are referenced forvarious forms of categories and sub-categories.

These rating quality factors preferably include decor, service, food,location (e.g., surrounding area condition), and various pricingstructures, such as the estimated cost of the POI service, such as anaverage restaurant meal price or typical amusement park gate fee. The‘Best Categorical Rating Search’ allows a user to search theseend-categories based on various quality factors. In one embodiment,quality factors may include: Overall Customer Experience; Decor; Service(Quality & Speed); Food Quality; Surrounding Location (Cleanliness,Waterfront Location, Scenic View, etc.); Cost (such as Very Expensive($$$$$), Expensive ($$$$), Moderate ($$$), Average ($$), Inexpensive($)); Price Range ($50+, $30-$40, $20-$30, $10-$20, under $10. Etc.);Atmosphere—Dress Code (such as Formal, Casual, Sports, Live Music,etc.); and others.

A user preferably initiates 1500 the ‘Best Categorical Rating Search’and search area, as illustrated in FIG. 15, by selecting the appropriateend-category 1501 and the various quality factors associated with thePOI 1502, such as those shown above (i.e., Overall Best, Décor, Service,Food Quality, Surrounding Location, Cost, Atmosphere). The POI search isthen initiated 1503, and the system uses all of the available ratingsfor the various end-category POIs, and if there are not enough userratings, typically less than 100 ratings, the system will use aprofessional critic's rating in addition to the aggregate users' ratingsfor display ranking until the minimum of say 100 ratings has beenreached. In one embodiment, the overall rating calculated from thecombination of the aggregate users' ratings and that of a professionalcritic during this initial case can be done using various methods, onebeing illustrated in equation EQ.1. $\begin{matrix}{{SR} = \frac{\left( {{{CR} \cdot \left( {100 - {NoU}} \right)} + \left( {{AUR}*{NoU}} \right)} \right)}{100}} & \left( {{EQ}.\quad 1} \right)\end{matrix}$Where SR=Specific Rating; CR=Critic Rating; NoU=Number of Users thatRated POI Quality Factor (Range=[0,100]); AUR=Average User Ratings.

Thus, a Critic's Rating would hold more weight when the Number of Usersthat have rated the given quality factor for the POI is small, but asthe number grows, the critic's rating is less weighted and the users'average rating is more heavily weighted. The system then returns thespecific rating results to the user 1504. The search can alsoincorporate the critic's rating information, regardless of the number ofusers in the aggregate ratings count, to provide a better method ofrating various POIs.

Additionally, the spatial searches for various search methods canincorporate many techniques. In one embodiment, a radial search usingthe ‘Best Categorical Rating Search’ method involves the location of theuser initiating the search, the category to search within, the radius ofthe search window, and the various quality factors needed to perform thesearch. For instance, in one embodiment, a user wants to search for aseafood restaurant that has an overall average user rating of 37 orbetter within a given radius, where the origin of the search is theuser's current position. As illustrated in FIG. 22, a user located at agiven position 2213 initiates a ‘Best Categorical Rating Search’ 2212based on a Seafood category and an overall quality factor average of 37or better on a scale of 40. The search radius 2211 is set to be 1 Mile.The search checks all seafood restaurants in the given area 2200 thathave a rating of 37 or better 2212. In FIG. 22, all of the POIs that donot meet the search criteria (2206, 2205, 2204, 2202, 2203, 2201) areshown as clear circles, and the POIs that satisfy the search criteriaare shown as highlighted filled circles (2209, 2210, 2207, 2208). Thesearch results are then indexed and displayed as previously described,according to user indexing preferences.

The ‘Aggregate Average Population Rating Search’ is similar to the ‘BestCategorical Rating Search’, except that the end-category is not defined.This implies that sub-categories beneath the main top-level category,such as restaurants, need not be defined or selected. For the example ofrestaurant categories, a user would not need to specify what type ofcuisine (i.e. Italian, American, etc.) the restaurant should serve. Thesearch process is similar to that of the ‘Best Categorical RatingSearch’, as illustrated in FIG. 15, except that a user would choose onlya main category. In one embodiment, the user would search for the bestrestaurant in a given area based on various preferred quality factors,such as price, and not based on restaurant sub-categories.

The ‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’ allows users search within theircustomized POI favorites list using the various other search methods,such as the ‘Aggregate Average Population Rating Search’. Users can savevarious favorite POIs into various customized personal categories, orall grouped together, depending on the user's preferences. This searchallows users to compile and store their own personal ratings for variousPOIs in various user-defined formats, such as personalized folders,which can be stored locally on the mobile device and/or remotely on theonline networked rating search engine server. This enables a user to usehis/her preferences both locally and remotely, such as when on travel.As with any POI search or identification, once a POI has beenidentified, its information can be saved for later use. FIG. 16illustrates a search result utilizing a categorical search, such as the‘Best Categorical Rating Search’ method. For this search, 3 restaurantPOIs have been returned 1600. The user then selects, such as using anicon pointer 1601, the preferred POI for storage, either locally or onthe networked server. By selecting the desired POI a window appears 1602next to the icon pointer 1601. The window illustrates the option to addthe POI to the user's favorite list. If selected 1602, a new windowappears 1603, where the user can create, rename, drag and move the POIto a newly created folder 1609, by using the icon pointer 1605. In oneembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the user has 4 folders in her POIFavorite List: 1). Favorite Restaurants, 2), Favorite Dog Parks, 3).Favorite Auto Services, 4). Favorite Florists. These names arepreferably customizable, and can be modified to any name at anytime.

Since the new favorite POI, named ‘Divina Cucina’, has been added to thefavorite list 1604 under the Favorite Restaurant folder, the user isable to get, using the icon pointer 1605, various information about aspecific POI as shown in FIG. 16. This information 1606 includes variousadditional fields, such as 1). Specific Information (e.g., address,contact, etc.,), 2). User Ratings, and 3). Critic Reviews, and variousadditional options, such as 4). Rename (i.e., rename POI field for amore personal label), 5). Map POI Location, 6). Route To POI FromCurrent Location, 7). Store Personal Note Information, 8). Change UserNotification Area, and 9). Send POI to Friend, among otherpossibilities. If the user selects with the icon pointer 1607 the ‘StorePersonal Note Information’ field, for instance, a new window 1608 willappear that identifies specific note information for the POI. In oneembodiment, this information includes notes about the restaurant, suchas the name of a particular dessert that was enjoyable, and it mayinclude any information about the specific POI. Additionally, this notehas a field called ‘Set Geo-Notification’ 1610, which allows the user toset the boundary or radius of an area in which to alert the user thatthey are near that specific POI.

Additionally, with any search a user can add reviews, such as personal,critic's, or other users' reviews to their personal storage area, eitherlocally or on the network server, for retrieval at any time. FIG. 16illustrates that ‘Lady (Dog) Park’ has 3 user reviews 1611 that havebeen added to the user's Favorites. This allows users to convenientlyretrieve the most important reviews about various POIs that they feelare applicable, thus reducing a time to initiate a new search.

The ‘Similar User Rating Search’ allows users to use their own preferredPOI information, compiled and correlated with the complete user-ratingdatabase, to search for the best match of unfamiliar POIs that the userwould most probably prefer. In one embodiment, the search method issimilar to the other search methods, except that a user is searching forunknown POIs that the user would, with a strong likelihood, prefer, inwhich the search is based on their previous rated or favorite POIs. Theefficacy of this search increases as the number of personally-rated POIsincreases, such that having 10 or more previously-rated POIs percategory will aid in this search method, but having only 1 or morepreviously-rated POIs is preferably required for this search method.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, every distinct POI has various informationassociated with it, as shown in line 17.1, that may include, forexample, latitude and longitude values (altitude value can be stored butis not necessary), the POI name, and various categories with theirassociated ratings. For instance, a restaurant such as the Chart Housewould have a category of restaurant where a rating value is notnecessary so it shall be defined as NULL. Additionally, the Chart Houserestaurant would also have a category of Seafood, with a rating as NULL.The other category of décor would have an overall rating of 32 out of40. All categories, such as décor, have pointers to all the users thathave rated the category, so that for this example, décor for the ChartHouse may have 12,748 users that have rated such a category, with anaverage score of 32, which is displayed in this particular filed in line17.2 of FIG. 17. All known associated categories to the ChartHouse areimplemented in this fashion in an active database. Lines 17.2 and 17.3of FIG. 17 illustrate that every category can be defined as asub-category, such as average food entrée cost.

For instance, in Line 17.3 of FIG. 17, one category identifies that aparticular POI is defined as a chain or franchise. Other categories, asshown in Lines 17.4 and 17.5 illustrate that a category can also bedefined as a restaurant of Italian cuisine, or a restaurant of fastfood, that is typically for children, such as a particular McDonaldsthat has an playground area. This illustrates that a category can bedefined as anything to provide more information about a specific POI,thus providing more granularity for the various searches. All categorieshave an average user rating associated with it. In the case where arating is not valid, a rating of NULL is used. Additionally, all ratingcategories have pointers to all the users that have rated such acategory. This category schema applies for all searches.

Every user that uses the search system, such as ‘User—1’ 1700, as shownin FIG. 17, is identified by the authorization and authenticationprocedures. When users identify POIs as favorites or rate them, thesystem stores this information for use in various future searches. Soevery POI that a user rates, including all category information, isstored and associated (i.e., 1701 & 1702 & 1703 & 1704 & 1705 & 1706)with each user. This also includes all POIs that a user saves as afavorite POI. This same method applies for all users in the system 1707& 1708 & 1709. When users want to find any POI in a given area under anygiven category, such as ‘Seafood Restaurants’ they can do an indexedsearch, similar to FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, except that the results willreturn the best matching POIs that the user would most probably preferbased on various information that the search system has on record. Inone embodiment, when searching for a hotel in any given area, the systemwould search for various POIs 1701 & 1702 & 1703 & 1704 & 1705 & 1706associated with the searcher ‘User—1’ 1700 on file, and correlate themwith all other users on file 1707 & 1708 & 1709, and all the POIinformation about them 1710-1715 & 1716-1721 & 1722-1727. The searchengine would then preferably find the users that most closely resemblethe searcher's 1700 preferences and base the search on those users'locally preferred POIs under the searched category. Using the otherusers' 1709 & 1708 ratings for POIs that the searcher 1700 iscategorically looking for in a given area, the search method would thenreturn, with the highest probability, the POIs 1716 & 1722 that thesearcher would most likely prefer, based on the fact that similar usersin the area prefer those POIs.

The present invention allows users to store personal note informationabout any POI, such as a franchise or chain, for their review anytime. Auser can update this note information by means of any computing device,such as a personal computer, and it is not limited to only navigationaldevices. The note information can be stored locally on the device oruploaded and stored on the network for retrieval from any location andon any device. As illustrated in FIG. 18, various mobile devices 1808,including navigational devices 101, can store POI note informationlocally on the device on a storage system (i.e., typically memory or ahard disk). Additionally, this POI note information can be stored on thedatabase server 1801. A mobile device 1808 connects to the databaseserver 1801 through various connections 1807, such as a wired, wireless,infrared, or a wireless CDPD connection. This connection 1807 isconnected to a base station 1806, such as a typical Internet ServiceProvider (ISP), such as Sprint PCS. The base station 1806 is connected1805 to the Internet, Intranet, or Extranet 1800, and then connected1804 to another ISP 1803, such as Earthlink. The ISP 1803 has aconnection 1802 to the database server 1801, where the note informationcan be stored. Additionally, a computing device 1812, such as a personalcomputer can store, update, or read POI note information by storing theinformation locally or over the network on the database server 1801. Thecomputing device 1812 is typically connected 1811 to various ISPs, suchas Earthlink, over various connections 1811, such as using a DigitalService Line (DSL) connection.

The ISP 1810 preferably has a connection 1809 to the Internet, Intranet,or Extranet 1800 and then is connected 1804 to the ISP 1803 that isconnected 1802 to the database server 1801. Therefore, any user canstore local POI note information, or, by using a network connection andvarious protocols, such as TCP/IP or UDP, store, read, or update noteinformation on the database server 1801. The note information forvarious POIs is defined 1813 as shown in FIG. 18. Note informationcontains various fields, such as a user ID field associating a note to aparticular user, the POI name identification, the coordinate of the POI,and the note information field. The last note field is identified withthe NULL character.

Users can be apprised that they are near any POI based on various zoneboundaries, such as a radial or box-boundary defined area of either theuser or the POI. As illustrated in FIG. 16 any available POI can besaved as a Favorite POI for later use and quick access. Once these POIshave been saved, either locally or on the online network server, theycan be accessed by the user or by the system. Every POI 1900, asillustrated in FIG. 19, has associated with it latitude 1903, longitude1902, and sometimes altitude values. Additionally, every navigationaldevice 1904 can have associated with it latitude, longitude, andaltitude values. By defining an area 1901 around a POI, for example, oran area 1912 around a navigational device 1904, it is possible to notifythe user of that navigational device that a POI is nearby, or to notifya POI that a user is near the POI. In one embodiment, a navigationaldevice is traveling on any given route 1905 that can changeinstantaneously in any direction. Surrounding this navigational device1904, and/or near the route 1905 the device is traveling on, are variousPOIs 1906 & 1907 & 1908 & 1909 & 1910 & 1911. All of these POIs areknown to the user of the navigational device, and have been stored inthe user's Favorites directory. Once the navigational device is within apredetermined area or range 1912 of any of the various POIs stored inthe user's Favorites directory, a notification response 1913 is providedto the user. For instance, as the navigational device is traveling alongany defined or undefined route 1905, when it comes within range 1912 ofvarious favorite POIs 1904 & 1907 & 1908 & 1909 & 1911, a geo-triggerreports the POIs' proximity to the user in various formats, such as atext display 1913 (as shown in FIG. 19), audio, speech, etc. The POIsare displayed in the order of the closest proximity.

For instance, Joyce's Restaurant 1915 is the first POI 1907, stillwithin range 1912, to be triggered and displayed 1913 & 1914 followed bythe Chart House 1916 & 1909, Lacie Park 1917 & 1908, and Arroyo ParkGolf Course 1918 & 1910. Note that the display 1913 shows a recentlytriggered POI 1906 in the history list 1919 as Houston's Restaurant1920. Additionally, each triggered response 1915 & 1916 & 1917 & 1918 &1920 can be activated by, for instance, an icon pointer 1921 to getadditional information about the POI, such as Favorite associatedinformation, driving directions, etc.

For any given POI, as chosen in a variety of methods including thevarious aforementioned search methods, a user can create an optimalroute based on POI location or POI location and order. In oneembodiment, a user can select various POIs, such as the‘Personal—Favorites Rating Search’ provides, to be incorporated into aroute (see FIG. 20). A user defines START 2000 and END 2001 locations,typically on a map of varying resolution or size or by entering addressinformation, or the like. After a user has chosen various POIs 2002 &2003 & 2004 & 2005 & 2006, the user allows the system to calculate thepreferred route 2107, typically on a street or road network 2007, basedon various factors, such as traffic information, speed limits, turnrestrictions, etc., and based on user preferences, such as preferredstreets or highways to use or avoid, while incorporating the selectedPOIs as stopover points along the route. The system can also calculatethe preferred route 2107 information based on a desired POI stopoverroute order, such that the first POI 2002 is reached before the secondPOI 2004, and so on. As shown in FIG. 21, the system calculates anddisplays the optimal route 2107 directions and numbered order. For thiscase, since the POI stopover route order parameter was unspecified, thesystem calculated the route's POI stopover order, which in this case, isas shown in FIG. 21: 1). 2102, 2). 2104, 3). 2105, 4). 2106, and 5).2103, where the START 2100 and END 2101 locations are unchanged. If thePOI stopover route 2107 order were specified, the system would calculatethe best route given those constraints. Additionally, the route 2107information can be displayed in a similar fashion as illustrated in FIG.11.

It should be noted that the present invention may be embodied in formsother than the preferred embodiments described above without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The specificationcontained herein provides sufficient disclosure for one skilled in theart to implement the various embodiments of the present invention,including the preferred embodiment, which should be considered in allaspect as illustrative and not restrictive; all changes or alternativesthat fall within the meaning and range or equivalency of the claim areintended to be embraced within.

1. A machine-readable medium containing executable programminginstructions for causing a processor of a mobile device to perform amethod of retrieving information associated to a point of interest, saidmobile device having a user input and a display, said method comprisingthe step of: retrieving, via a global positioning system, a real-timeposition information of the mobile device, said real-time positioninformation indicating a real-time location of the mobile device;receiving a search request, the search request requesting a search for apoint of interest; displaying on the display a plurality of searchmethods; receiving an input designating one of said plurality of searchmethods; retrieving, from a database, location information associatedwith at least one point of interest, said at least one point of interestbeing located using the search method designated; and displaying on saiddisplay the retrieved location information associated with the at leastone point of interest.
 2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1,further comprising the steps of: determining a distance between thereal-time position and the location of the at least one point ofinterest; and displaying on said display the determined distance betweenthe real-time position of the mobile device and the location of the atleast one point of interest.
 3. The machine-readable medium of claim 1,further comprising the steps of: determining a time of arrival from thereal-time position and the location of the at least one point ofinterest; and displaying on said display the determined time of arrival.4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said plurality ofsearch methods include at least one of best categorical rating search,favorites rating search, average rating search, and similar user-ratingsearch.
 5. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprisingthe step of displaying a user rating of the point of interest retrievedand displayed.